Childhood obesity scheme launched in Cornwall

A £100,000 project to tackle childhood obesity levels has been launched in Cornwall.

The Cornwall Hearty Lives Project is being funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). It after NHS chiefs recently revealed that one in three children in the UK is overweight when they leave primary school.

BHF chiefs have joined with the NHS and Cornwall Council to offer workshops to parents, as well as health days in schools around the Cornwall area.

Talking about the scheme, Dr. Kerry Bailey from NHS Cornwall told thisiscornwall.co.uk: "An unhealthy weight at a young age can very quickly lead to serious health problems and affect how long we live for."

She continued: "We are all guilty of making poor lifestyle choices, but the key is to recognise them and try to ensure a healthy balance between what we like and what we know is good for us."

As well as choosing the wrong food, though, obesity can also be linked to emotional issues - something which undergoing counselling courses can help with. Working through these issues can in turn make weight loss efforts more successful.

It is hoped that the scheme can tackle obesity head-on in youngsters, so that the issue can be resolved before it continues on in to adulthood. It is reported that obesity levels have nearly quadrupled in the last 25 years, with 22 per cent of Britons now obese.

What's more, according to dh.gov.uk, obesity currently costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year.